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Hatsubai « ENGL's flagship preamp »
Published on 06/08/11 at 02:06ENGL is well known for their super versatile high gain heads such as the SE, so it's only logical that they'd make a preamp version of that same head for those of us who love racks. This is a 2U rack that features four channels, four 12AX7 tubes, a semi-shared EQ between clean/crunch and lead 1/2, MIDI, tons of voicing switches, a noise gate, a stereo effects loop and more.
UTILIZATION
ENGL really outdid themselves when they built this thing. There are so many features thrown into this that it's head spinning. This biggest thing I love about this vs the E530 is that it has full MIDI implementation. Nearly every feature can be switched with MIDI, so you can build tons of different presets to help dial in whatever sound you can think of. There is also a built-in noise gate to help keep everything quiet. On top of a great layout, the ENGL manual provides you with everything you need to know regarding this preamp to help get you set up as fast as possible. It's a bit wordy, but everything is in there as to how the preamp functions and operates.
SOUNDS
This thing sounds massive. If you've ever heard an SE before, you know what I'm referring to. The clean on this is chimey and great. It has some hi-fi qualities, but it can get very warm with just a few switches. The crunch on these preamps are pretty decent, but I was never a huge fan of ENGL crunches. They work, but I feel they're a bit stiff. Lead 1 and Lead 2 are where the real magic happens. You have these two extremely high gain channels that work awesome for both rhythm and lead work. If you're a shredder, death metal guitarist or even play in an 80s tribute band, this preamp should work for you. There are so many different options to help dial in the perfect high gain ENGL sound that it's ridiculous.
OVERALL OPINION
The ENGl E570 is one hell of a preamp, but it also comes with a price tag. It's more expensive than the E530, but if you can afford it, I recommend this over the E530 simply due to the extra versatility. Also, it has full MIDI capability, so you don't need an extra MIDI switcher like you do with the E530.
UTILIZATION
ENGL really outdid themselves when they built this thing. There are so many features thrown into this that it's head spinning. This biggest thing I love about this vs the E530 is that it has full MIDI implementation. Nearly every feature can be switched with MIDI, so you can build tons of different presets to help dial in whatever sound you can think of. There is also a built-in noise gate to help keep everything quiet. On top of a great layout, the ENGL manual provides you with everything you need to know regarding this preamp to help get you set up as fast as possible. It's a bit wordy, but everything is in there as to how the preamp functions and operates.
SOUNDS
This thing sounds massive. If you've ever heard an SE before, you know what I'm referring to. The clean on this is chimey and great. It has some hi-fi qualities, but it can get very warm with just a few switches. The crunch on these preamps are pretty decent, but I was never a huge fan of ENGL crunches. They work, but I feel they're a bit stiff. Lead 1 and Lead 2 are where the real magic happens. You have these two extremely high gain channels that work awesome for both rhythm and lead work. If you're a shredder, death metal guitarist or even play in an 80s tribute band, this preamp should work for you. There are so many different options to help dial in the perfect high gain ENGL sound that it's ridiculous.
OVERALL OPINION
The ENGl E570 is one hell of a preamp, but it also comes with a price tag. It's more expensive than the E530, but if you can afford it, I recommend this over the E530 simply due to the extra versatility. Also, it has full MIDI capability, so you don't need an extra MIDI switcher like you do with the E530.